Management

WISTCIS project, as an accompanying measure, is developed and implemented by Earth Data Network for Education and Scientific Exchange (EDNES) (coordinator) and its partners (principal contractors), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), The Netherlands, and University of Ulm, Germany. Among the functions of EDNES is the organization of links with the participating CIS countries. National coordinating mechanism is established in each of the CIS countries participating in the project.

Project workplans are developed by EDNES in consultations with its partners. In corresponding regions the plans will be developed by EDNES in close collaboration and consultations with the subcontractors in the participating CIS countries (through their coordinating mechanisms) and the partners. The workplans include and ensure adequate measures for evaluation and quality control. The plans and deliverables will be approved by EDNES in close consultations with other project partners and upon this approval will be submitted to the EC. Quality assurance measures will be ensured by detailed peer reviews of the project deliverables by both EU and the CIS leading specialists in the field.

Communication and information flow within the consortium generally involves either EDNES headquarters in Strasbourg (concerning Western European links and liason with the EC) or EDNES branch in Moscow, that hosts WISTCIS project manager (concerning participation of the European CIS countries). EDNES official branches in Kiev, Ukraine, and Baku, Azerbaijan are actively involved in communication and information flow on the project. In particular, Baku EDNES branch contributes much to the project development and information flow in Caucasus. At the same time Kiev EDNES branch provides major contribution to the information flow in Ukraine and Belarus. EDNES ensures regular communication between these four offices on all project matters. In addition, EDNES exchanges information with the project partners in Europe and other interested European parties in IST, in particular, through participation in IST concertation meetings. EDNES periodically informs the European CIS offices that represent their countries in EU official bodies about the project progress and incorporates their views into updates of the project plans. EDNES, as the project coordinator, submits to the EC three-months management reports, six-months and/or yearly progress reports.

The project decision making structure is defined by the division of the project into workpackages (WPs). The leading participant of each workpackage is responsible for decision making concerning this WP in consultations with the project coordinator and other participants, if necessary. The decision that deals with legal and ethical obligations in the participating CIS countries will be taken in close consultations with WISTCIS focal points in these countries.

EDNES is the leading participant in WP 1 "Project Management", WP 2 "IST Information Dissemination", WP 3 "Conferences and Workshops" and WP 6 "Assessment and Evaluation".

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), The Netherlands, is the leading participant of the WP 5 "IST Training for the CIS Countries" and implements the management of this workpackage.

University of Ulm, Germany, is the leading participant in WP 4 "Collaborative Browsing for EU-CIS Team Work" and does the management of this workpackage, working in close collaboration with EDNES and its subcontractors in the CIS countries.

WISTCIS project does not develop applications (except the Web-sites and the training courses) but is rather concerned with the wide dissemination of available information and know-how. Thus the question of property rights is not preponderant. Data and information provided by the cooperating CIS partners is in principle free of copyright restriction. The WISTCIS Newsletter will be freely reproducible with citation of source. WISTCIS project products resulting from the adaptation of EU-developed software for usage within the seven participating CIS countries will be the joint intellectual property of EU developers and the CIS subcontractors implementing the software adaptation.

Coordinator, project partners and the CIS focal points will participate as far as possible in concertation and promotional activities related to the project and its follow-up, especially those organized by the EC.